In vitro feeding of hematophagous insects, including fleas, using systems comprising a cage, a food supply in a container with a feeding membrane and a food supply temperature control system have long been known. Such a system may comprise a Rutledge-type membrane feed (described in Rutledge, L. C., et al Mosquito News, pp. 407-419, Dec., 1964) with host blood therein as food with water circulating therethrough to control the food (blood) temperature. Successful feeding of fleas has been reported by Bar-Zeev M. et al, Entomol. Exp. & Appl. 5:60-68, 1962; Cerwonka R. H. et al, J. Parasitol. 44:565-566, 1958; Galun, R., Life Sci. 5:1335-1342, 1966; Kartman, L., Expr. Parasitol. 3:525-537, 1954; Lauer, D. M. et al, J. Med. Entomol. 14:595-596, 1978; and Totze, R., Zentrabl. Bakt. parasitenk. Infekt. 132:382-384, 1934. Only Lauer et al mention observing mating, ovipositing and viable larval production, but they do not report reproduction outputs. Lauer et al report feeding times of 1-5 hours in a feeding chamber which is a 2 cm diameter by 5 cm high back plastic cylinder installed directly above a feeding membrane.
One object of this invention is to provide a system and method for practical breeding of fleas, utilizing an artificial system and method, i.e., a system and method which does not rely on feeding on a host animal. The term "practical breeding" of fleas is used herein to mean breeding to obtain a reproduction output at least 10% of the reproduction output of fleas feeding on host animals. While breeding of mosquitoes and flies has been obtained based on artificial systems, the breeding of fleas relying on such systems is much more difficult.
While the Lauer et al article described above reports breeding of fleas relying on an artificial system, the conditions utilized do not provide practical breeding.
Georgi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,305, describes apparatus and method for practical breeding of fleas, relying either on a flea cage with a height dimension to restrict jumping by fleas housed therein or on a flea cage containing fibrous material such as animal hair to provide pathways permitting the fleas to walk thereon to the feeding location. The system with the flea cage of restricted height dimension is substantially limited in the number of fleas that can be accommodated. The system with the flea cage containing animal hair provides cage cleaning and egg collection difficulties.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a system and method for the practical breeding of fleas which allows for facile cleaning and egg collecting and which in a preferred embodiment provides flexibility in the number of fleas that can be housed in a given dimension cage.